Allowing night flights at Queenstown International Airport would expose 37 Frankton houses to noise levels that would, if unmitigated, cause sleep disturbance, a plan change hearing was told yesterday.
The Queenstown Airport Corporation (QAC) is seeking a plan change and a notice of requirement to expand the noise boundaries and create a night noise boundary to allow night flights to arrive in Queenstown between 10pm and midnight to allow for tourism growth until 2037.
Acoustic consultant Chris Day said the corporation would pay to install sound insulation and ventilation on houses within the new boundaries as noise levels increased.
Those within the night noise boundary would be insulated first.
The new boundaries would increase noise levels over 27 years for houses in parts of McBride and Robertson Sts and Copper Beech Ave, he said.
New residential development should not be allowed within the new boundaries, he said.
"The potential sleep-disturbance effects from the proposed night-time aircraft arrivals is considered reasonable based on the low number of movements, 11 per week, the timing of the proposed events and the provision of sound insulation treatment," he said.
Aviation consultant David Park told the hearing the airport would need to install runway and taxi lighting before night flying was allowed.
Hazard beacons would be required on Jones Hill, Deer Park Heights and the Remarkables.
He said night flying would be allowed only for aircraft equipped with Required Navigation Performance and subject to stringent risk assessment by the Civil Aviation Authority.
Independent research consultant Gregory Akehurst told the hearing on Monday allowing night flights to arrive in Queenstown would boost the Otago economy by $39.4 million a year and create employment for 665 workers.
Queenstown Airport Corporation chief executive Steve Sanderson estimated it would cost the airport $5 million to install insulation.
He said capping the number of flights in Queenstown at current capacity would seriously affect the local economy.
Lawyer for QAC Amanda Dewar said the corporation was preparing an updated noise management plan to address the effects of aircraft noise on properties within the boundaries.
"It is accepted that this is an important issue and QAC is committed to working with the affected residents to finalise a plan that includes the mitigation package," she said.
QAC aeronautical manager Chris Read said various studies had concluded the airport's present location was the only practical site in that it could support transtasman flights, was close to Queenstown, was an already existing major airport and had more favourable meteorological conditions.
The hearing before commissioners Bob Batty, David Clarke and Stephen Childs continues today.
It is due to run until Tuesday.
The council's senior policy analyst, Karen Page, was highly critical of the proposals in her report to the commissioners.
She recommended they accept submissions that night-time flights should be rejected and said the hearing should be adjourned, because QAC did not provide enough information for the commissioners to make an informed decision.
Of 92 submissions, 24 supported, eight partly supported, and 60 opposed the plan change.
